I want to welcome Kestrel, (known as Galadriel on her blog), a young lady who has written quite a few things that I really enjoyed. I think the thing that most impresses me is her ability to write allegory in a very beautiful and powerful way. I was floored by Sakuntala when I first read it, and her other short allegories are just beautiful. So, without further ado, here’s Kestrel.
You’re allegorical fantasy is really great. You’ve written that some of them, like Sakuntala, are based off of dreams you had. What do you read that might possibly influence dreams like those?
For those who haven't read it, Sakuntala tells the story of an outcast from a nomadic desert tribe who stands up to the leaders of her clan. Some of my other short stories, such as Ragged, Seeking and River are also dream-seeded. Some of my dreams' sources are easy enough to identify--a Time Lord here, Aslan there, a dragonback adventure or a Global Community sometimes. Others...I have no clue.
You are writing a novel called Three Dark Roses. Can you give us a little info on that?
Well, it's been set aside for the time in favor of fanfics, but it began as a short story. It focuses on Micah, the shoshannah (think pastor mixed with faith healer), his son Joel, and his (eventually adopted daughter) friend Abigail. Joel rebels against the teachings of his father, which leads to the deaths of Abigail's entire family. Later, the whole world descends into an apocolypse as evil is unleashed.
What other genres beside fantasy do you read? How do they influence your fantasy writing?
I read what I can find at my local library: Amish Christian contemporary, historical, Biblical, sci-fi...I guess they show me how characters and writing carry so much of the story. For example, I love Madeline L'Engle's "A Live Coal in the Sea" because the writing is very poetic, even if the story is slightly soap-opera like.
At what age did you begin to write seriously?
My freshman year of high school, I joined the offical forum of author Bryan Davis, and began writing for an audience as well as myself. In 2009, I completed my first NaNoWriMo, and have done two more since then.
What was the first story you wrote after realizing you wanted to be an author?
I'm not sure...maybe Skye?
If you could be one character from a favorite book, who would it be?You saved the toughest one for last, didn't you? Well, I'll go with safety as factor, maybe that will help me narrow it down some. One series that comes to mind is the Mistmantle Chronicles by M.I. McAllister. Think of it as Redwall characters in a more Narnian setting. I'd love to be one of the characters, like Urchin or Sepia, because the setting is lovely and the characters really care about each other.
Well, Kestrel, I'm so glad I had the pleasure of interviewing you! I hope you had fun answering the questions, and I hope to read more of your work in the future.
Her writing can be found here. Go on and read it. She's an excellent writer!
